One important principle in gambling is not to chase one's losses. Another is to play with what you've got, the leeway between where you stand and where a further loss would put you in the red.
It contributed in no small way to my calamitous weekend that I went against the first of those and the road to recovery is in modest amounts working with what little was left in the account by Sunday night. But even though the last two days could have been much more profitable had I allowed myself more to play with, it is also satisfying to produce a battling reargaurd action and repair the damage without too much risk.
Yesterday's winner at Tipperary, was it, Shattered Love might be something having been backed from the 11/8 that I benefitted from down to 4/6. I hope to notice when that runs next. But today's winner, which puts me safer from harm, was more satisfying. Whether it is one to follow, having won by 3/4 of a length and so due to carry a penalty in subsequent novice hurdles, is open to question but a mug bet I sometimes do is horses with pop song names, especially good pop songs (There was a handicap chaser called Get It On in recent seasons that won a few times).
The professional reasons for backing Fool to Cry at Ludlow today were the trainer's recent good form, the booking of Richard Johnson to ride and the fact that the form of the other two at the head of the market, from the same race at Plumpton, might not have amounted to much.
Luckily, it is possible at work to be taking part in a telephone conference but open the At the Races website in another window on the computer to check results and then dance round to a colleague's desk with LUDLOW 2.10 1ST FOOL TO CRY 3/1 written on a piece a paper while they listen to the ongoing dreary phone call.
As ever, the money doesn't matter as much as the satisfaction, as it were.
Maybe we will embark upon a new season of The Saturday Nap this week although it has to be said that weekdays are generally profitable and Saturdays can vary between not so good and dereliction and so The Saturday Nap might not always run on Saturday.
David Green
- David Green (Books) is the imprint under which I publish booklets of my own poems, or did. The 'Collected Poems' are now available as a pdf. The website is now what it has become. It keeps me out of more trouble than it gets me into. I hope you find at least some of it worthwhile.
